After story
by Malluchan
Summary: Nobody told us what happened to everyone after Zyro came along in Shogun Steel. Sure, Tsubasa took over the WBBA, and Madoka remained her nerdy self. Gingka went on some kind of life changing journey and Ryuga passed his legacy on to Sakyo. But what really happened to everybody else in the 7 years between stories? Well I guess you'll just have to find out, won't you.
1. Unwise confrontation and stolen fries

Kelle looked up through the window of Cocokara to see a strange-looking person walking down the sidewalk.

He was dressed in black with a coat fluttering uselessly behind him in the wind. He should probably get out of the clouds and put it on, she thought. It was cold this morning.

A splash of red cried for attention against the backdrop of hot-white hair coming out of his head, and a lethal-looking tiara or something was wrapped around his head just below his hairline. He looked evil. Just, plain, evil.

And lost. Evil and lost. Kyoto was a big city.

He stormed into the cafe with a vengeance. The lady at the counter took his order, with the same indifference as usual. When it was ready he snatched the wrapper off and ate ravenously. She watched with a mild interest.

Definitely evil. And with something serious against that hamburger.

Suddenly he paused mid-massacre. His evil eyes turned upwards, looking straight at her.

"What are you looking at, kid?"

"I'm posing as a witness for this murder of innocent hamburgers. I believe he deserves to die peacefully."

"Whatever", he mumbled. Getting angry now, was he?

"Shouldn't talk with your mouth full. It's not polite, evil dude."

He glared at her murderously. "I'm not evil."

"Could've fooled me. Are you lost?"

He threw the burger down haughtily. "No."

"Ah, don't be ashamed. Easy to get lost in Kyoto if you're new here."

He stormed out the door without finishing his fries. Casually she commandeered them. He'd be back soon; he'd left his wallet on the table.

* * *

Ryuga stormed down the street. First he'd had the map upside down. Then he'd lost it. He was horrible with maps; maps hated him. Then he got accused by a little kid of murdering innocent food, of all things.

And now...now he realized he'd left his wallet on the table in the cafe.

With a yell of fury, he kicked over a flower display and wheeled in the other direction. That idiotic kid had better not have stolen his wallet.

_Lost...I'll show her lost..._ He was NOT lost. Okay, maybe he was lost. Where had the cafe gone? He could've sworn it was here.

* * *

Kelle looked up from her book. The fries were long gone. Evil man was also long gone. His wallet rested on the table beside her, commandeered as soon as the first dirtbag had laid his grubby fingers on it.

The lady from the counter told her to leave, as it was now closing time. The lights of Kyoto sparkled against the black backdrop of night, like their own stars, as Kelle walked out of the cafe.

A commotion sounded from the alley between a department store and a pizza place.

"Hey-you let go-"

"Hold still, dragon boy."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT! HEY!"

"Give me your wallet!"

"I LEFT IT AT THE CAFE I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU-"

The enraged voice was cut off, presumably by a gag or something. Kelle sighed. Always, always those pathetic losers who called themselves Faceslayers.

Kelle headed into the alley with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey, Oko."

The brown-haired boy looked up from where the evil man lay on the ground.

"Kelle", he snarled.

"Get up off him."

"No."

"Do you really want to taste Ursa's fury?"

"What if I do?"

Kelle shrugged. "Fine."

Oko left the evil dragon man to his companions and headed to the center of the alley. Kelle pulled out Ursa Major and set it into the launcher.

Oko launched early, the cheater, launching on "2" instead of "Let it rip".

Kelle rolled her eyes. "That's not gonna get you a victory, idiot. Launching early gives ME the advantage, not YOU!"

But Oko always did that. It couldn't be helped.

Ursa was an attack type, winning the battle easily against the Mercury Gasher. Oko was a weak blader and couldn't win against a bey like Ursa.

"Okay, now hand over the evil dude."

"He's fair game, Kelle! He's not yours to claim."

"He's under my protection now, Oko", she answered, standing taller. Oko leered in her face.

"You can't take him by force."

"Betcha I can."

"You wanna try it, bear-girl?" He hissed.

"You know what..." Kelle looked away and pretended to scrutinize the evil guy. "Take this."

She tossed him the leather wallet. The man on the ground let out a muffled cry of protest.

"Take the money inside it, but give me back the wallet", she sighed.

"Thanks, Kelle", sneered Oko. "You made my day."

"It's night, you numbskull. Now get out of here, and use that money for some high-quality breath mints. You'll be doing yourself a favor."

Oko paused at the entrance to the alley to pick up a small stone. Kelle yelled at him. "Okay, Oko. Taking the beyblade was NOT part of the deal."

"It doesn't belong to you", he sneered.

"Give it." Kelle gestured expectantly at him.

With a murderous scowl, Oko threw the beyblade at her. "I'll getcha later, Kelle", he spat. "You ust wait and see. You'll have to stop saving every weakling in the city eventually."

He and his men stalked away.


	2. Where's L-drago?

The Evil Dragon Man glared up at her murderously as she untied him. The second his hands were loose, he ripped off the gag and the flash-flood came.

"WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?"

"I was saving your life, evil dude." Kelle stood with an expressionless face. "You were lost, weren't you?"

"NO!"

"Okay, okay. Go easy, dragon man. Thank me later, I guess."

"You mean for GIVING AWAY ALL MY MONEY!?"

Kelle paused. "Yeah." Then she resumed her walk to the exit of the alley.

Dragon boy untied his ankles and tried to stand before letting out a gasp of pain. He fell against the wall and tried to catch his breath.

Kelle half-turned as the man fell onto the ground and let his head sag backward for a second. Then he limped along the wall towards the entrance.

Once there, the wall ended and he fell down again with a yelp. Further attempts gained him a bruised skull and the indignity of slipping into the gutter. Kelle watched him with an amused expression.

Finally she told him to wait there, knowing he wouldn't listen; she returned with a horse. An actual horse.

"What are you doing with that horse? In a city?" The boy asked uncertainly.

"Taking you home."

"No."

"Okay; have fun camping on the sidewalk till Oko makes his rounds back to here and kills you for real."

She led the horse back around the way she had come and he followed obligingly. She stopped in her tracks when the dragon boy changed his mind and asked for a ride.

Kelle helped him onto the horse's back. "Okay, tell me where you live. If you even know."

"Uhh...I live in...I don't know."

"Okay, that'll have to wait till tomorrow. It's been a long day and I don't want to wander the whole of Kyoto. In the middle of the night."

"So where are you taking me?"

"You're staying with me tonight."

"No!"

"You sure say that a lot. I can't very well leave you here; Oko will be back soon and you're under my protection now, after all."

"No I'm not."

"Don't argue with me, evil boy."

"That's not my name."

"Well, what is it, then?"

"Ryuga", he mumbled.

"Kelle. 14. How old are you?"

"Why is it any of your business?"

"Not very friendly, are you."

He looked away. "17."

"Was that so hard?"

Kelle led the horse to a small apartment building on the outskirts of Kyoto. Soft, ancient light bathed the street, pooling out from the inside. She sent the horse into the small patch of woods nearby and Ryuga started to make his way up the stairs.

_This is gonna take all night._

Kelle, annoyed, grabbed his arm and helped him up the stairs.

"I'll call my doctor in the morning..."

"No!"

"Go to sleep, idiot."

* * *

Ryuga woke to searing pain in his ankle and fell off the couch with a startled cry. Embarrassed, he sat up and got back on the couch. Nobody was home; he pondered whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

Before he could decide, Kelle returned with a suspiciously doctor-like man.

"Kelle! Is that a doctor?"

"Yes. This is doctor Murray. I asked him to come drive you to the hospital."

"I said, NO DOCTORS!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you say no to a lot of things, Ryuga."

"I'm not going to the hospital."

Doctor Murray watched the exchange with amusement, finally taking the adult way to go and breaking into their argument.

"All right, all right. I suppose I could just treat your ankle here, if you absolutely refuse to think otherwise of hospitals..."

"I DO!"

"Calm down."

"NO!"

Kelle watched Ryuga with a quiet expression, and said to the doctor, "I think that's his favorite word."

"I'M RIGHT HERE, YOU KNOW!"

Doctor Murray once again took the adult way to go and injected Ryuga with a sedative.

* * *

Ryuga woke again to find himself in the same room. At least they hadn't taken him to a hospital while he was asleep. Still groggy from the sedative, he could barely make out Kelle's outline where she sat nearby reading a book.

Kelle looked up. "Ah, sleeping beauty has awoken."

"She was a girl."

"Yes?...Your point being...?"

"Hey, cut that out!"

Ryuga noticed then that something was missing. His hand automatically flew to his right forearm.

Normally his carrying case was there, but it was gone. He caught sight of it on the kitchen counter.

Empty.

"WHERE'S L-DRAGO!?"

"Relax. I took it for maintenance to the shop on the corner."

"I'm getting out of here", he muttered, attempting to stand. Big mistake. His legs crumpled underneath him.

"Ok. But I haven't got all year."

He scowled. Man, if looks could kill. Unfortunately, they couldn't. Kelle looked back at her book indifferently.

"You know, if you leave now, you'll have to abandon L-drago. Plus, you don't even know where you live."

Ryuga scowled and sank back onto the couch. It was going to be a long couple of days.


	3. Job applications

A large, infuriating unicorn danced through Ryuga's dreams as he tossed and turned on the couch, mentally surrounded by floating penguins and evil minions. It was all so surreal.

He was jerked back to reality as somebody shook him by the shoulders. "Hey! HEEEEYYY! DRAGON-BOY! WAKE UP!"

Ryuga blinked sleepily. "Wh-wha..."

A month after the fight in the alley, Ryuga was still stuck at Kelle's. His sprained ankle was now healed, but she had reminded him of his lack of money and allowed him to stay with her until he got back on his feet.

"You're getting a job today."

"But it's sooo earlyy..."

"Get up."

"Why do you have to be my personal alarm clock?" He snapped.

"Because I'm not leaving you in this apartment asleep alone for the hour late you like to wake up, while I work my head off in a greasy fast food restaurant for 8 hours a day. Hit the street, dragon-boy, or I'm sending you to labor-ready."

"Fine", he grumbled, sitting up. His mouth tasted of morning breath and he'd fallen asleep with his headband on; his scalp was all sore now.

"And don't call me dragon-boy."

"Whatever. I want you to meet me for lunch at that cafe down by that alley...you know the one. Your poor foot knows the one. And your empty wallet also knows the one." The smug look on Kelle's face was infuriating. Like the evil unicorn of dreams.

"Why can't we just eat lunch at that restaurant you work at?"

Kelle made a face. "Are you kidding me? I have to work there. I'm not eating there, too."

Ryuga had to laugh. But only a little.

Kelle glanced at her watch. "Oi. I have to go. You better not be on this couch at lunch time."

And without another word, she whisked out the door, leaving a still-drowsy Ryuga in her living room.

Ryuga wandered through Kyoto with his now ever-present map, searching for a job. The idea was to save enough money to rent an apartment, and go from there.

He filled out at least 10 job applications that morning.

First name: Ryuga

Second name: George (He didn't have a middle name, so he made up one on each form. He'd gone through George, Kyle, Harrison, Miles, and many others.)

Last name: None

Address: Cardboard box (That one he put because he didn't want to admit he was living with a friend.)

Alternate address: Dumpster

Home phone: Here he surrendered and put Kelle's phone number.

How did you learn about our company? "I walked through the door looking for a job."

Position sought: Boss.

Available start date: Tomorrow.

Desired pay range (By hour or salary): Every day

Are you currently employed? Probably not.

High school: High school of the homeschooled (And by homeschooled, he meant none.)

Graduate? No.

Degree? About 71 Fahrenheit.

Major subjects of study: Running away, hurting people

College: Volcano

Graduate? Yes.

Degree? Hot enough to cook a cow.

Major subject of study: Not falling in.

Special training? Art of reading maps.

Graduate? Not yet.

Major subject of study: Holding the map correctly.

Other education? No.

Please list your special skills: Chasing people off, scaring children, kicking stuff, filling out job applications, breaking limbs, yelling, evil laughter

Not surprisingly, he didn't get a single job that day.

By midday it was sweltering. Ryuga relished in the thought of air conditioning, and headed to the restaurant.

"Oh, you finally got here." His happiness was short-lived.

Kelle hadn't waited for him to get there; she already had a burger in her hand. He was mildly offended. Ryuga was always mildly offended. And mildly offensive, too.

He ordered a meal and sat down to wait for the waitress. The waitress was the one who was supposed to be doing the waiting here. It wasn't fair.

"Hey look. I stopped by that toy store on the way over here cuz..."

Ryuga had learned when to tune out Kelle. Now was one of those times.

"Look! We're dragon buddies..."

Ryuga looked at Kelle in alarm. She was shaking a stuffed dragon in his face.

"'Ey. Quit that. We're not dragon buddies, kid."

"I'm not a kid, dragon buddy."

Having her happy was both a blessing and a curse. But having her mad was a flat-out curse. That made having her happy a little better, but not by much.

"Oh you know that movie that's coming out?...the one about that guy who had this friend whose dog was about to have puppies but they thought it was a boy..."

Now was another one of those times.

Finally the waitress brought him the food.

"...and they filmed it like right near here...the ninja turtle guy was in it. What was his name again? Oh yeah, it was..."

Ryuga concentrated on his burger.

"...hey, you look sad. Are you sad, DRAGON BUDDY?"

"Kelle, you're annoying."

"No I'm not. I'm just regular. You just don't know how to deal with regularness because you came from a cave in the sea."

"I cam from a city east of here. Is regularness even a word?"

"It exists, no?"

"No."

"Oohh...this sounds like one of those philosophy things, like that time when the guy's daughter had this friend whose uncle was..."

Was it ever not one of those times?

Ryuga concentrated on the table. There was a hand in his fries. A really small, alive, wiggly one...

He followed the hand. Down. Shorter than the table, pink haired and brown capped, was a little girl. Or a boy. He couldn't actually tell. The kid was taking his fries. He yelped, startled at this tiny creature who was reaching up to the table.

"Gah! Kid, you scared me to death! Go on, shoo!"

"Hey, be nice to Maru..."

"The baby thing was stealing my fries! AGAIN! My fries are ALWAYS GETTING STOLEN!"

"Ryuga, you're causing a scene-"

"YOU'RE causing a scene!"

"Ryuga! Don't..."

Ryuga stood up too fast and the table tipped over onto its side, rolling through the diner and terrorizing the pedestrians as it crashed through the door and into oncoming traffic.

"WHO ON EARTH DID THAT?" Ryuga yelled loudly. Kelle glared as she tried to comfort the spooked Maru.

And then the owner of the restaurant came stomping up to Kelle.

"KELLE WATSON! WHO ON EARTH IS THAT!?"

"It's my, uh...friend's neighbor's dog's cousin's owner's mechanic's dentist's son's father-in-law's daughter's sister's cousin's friend's obscure relative's colleague's aunt's daughter's fiance's brother's teacher's nephew's...son."

"Well, tell your friend's neighbor's dog's cousin's owner's mechanic's dentist's son's father-in-law's daughter's sister's cousin's friend's obscure relative's colleague's aunt's daughter's fiance's brother's teacher's nephew..."

"His son.."

"Yeah, tell your friend's neighbor's dog's cousin's owner's mechanic's dentist's son's father-in-law's daughter's sister's cousin's friend's obscure relative's colleague's aunt's daughter's fiance's brother's teacher's nephew's son to clean up this mess."

"Okay. Hey, friend's neighbor's dog's cousin's owner's mechanic's dentist's son's father-in-law's daughter's sister's cousin's friend's obscure relative's colleague's aunt's daughter's fiance's brother's teacher's nephew's son, come here and clean this up. Hey, do you have any job openings?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. How about your teacher's brother's dog's friend..."

"Friend's neighbor's dog's cousin's owner's mechanic's dentist's son's father-in-law's daughter's sister's cousin's friend's obscure relative's colleague's aunt's daughter's fiance's brother's teacher's nephew's son..."

"Yeah. Him. Tell him he can work here and he'll get a monthly deduction to pay this off little by little."

"Okay. Hey, Friend's neighbor's dog's cousin's owner's mechanic's dentist's son's father-in-law's daughter's sister's cousin's friend..."

"I heard her, Kelle."

"You mean, your dad's aunt's student's brother's fiance's mom's nephew's colleague's obscure relative's friend's cousin's sister's dad's son-in-law's father's patient's client's dog's cousin's owner's neighbor."

"Whatever, Kelle." Ryuga stomped out of the restaurant.

"Here, Maru, you can have his fries." Kelle hurried after him before he dropped an anvil on a park or something.

"Hey, Friend's neighbor's dog's cousin's owner's mechanic's dentist's son's father-in-law's daughter's sister's cousin's friend's obscure relative's colleague's aunt's daughter's fiance's brother's teacher's nephew's son."

"I'm not your father's brother's aunt's niece's daughter's dog's cousin."

"That would make me the dog's cousin's owner's mom's aunt's brother's father's daughter. I'm your dad's aunt's student's brother's fiance's mom's nephew's colleague's obscure relative's friend's cousin's sister's dad's son-in-law's father's patient's client's dog's cousin's owner's neighbor, which would make you my Friend's neighbor's dog's cousin's owner's mechanic's dentist's son's father-in-law's daughter's sister's cousin's friend's obscure relative's colleague's aunt's daughter's fiance's brother's teacher's nephew's son..."

"I'm not your son."

"No, you're my Friend's neighbor's dog's cousin's owner's..."

"KELLE!"

"Okay, okay." And so they walked home. Ryuga had gotten his job, after all.


	4. Tategami-san, Atsutomo, and Kazuko

"Hello...this is Cocokara cafe...how can I help you..."

Ryuga was evidently no good at making friends with customers.

"RYUGA..."

"Kelle? You know, you've got to quit calling me while I'm busy."

"You're...you're almost off work...right?" Kelle was gasping for breath.

"What's wrong with you? Yes."

"Good...I need...your help..."

Since getting a job (finally), Ryuga had saved up enough to move into his own apartment. But Kelle still wouldn't leave him alone.

Although it was true that having a friend in the city came with its perks, like having her install a GPS on his phone.

Ryuga sighed. "What is it this time?"

"Being...attacked...by...crazy..." And then her phone cut off.

Ryuga was getting mildly worried, though he wouldn't admit it. He fumbled through the rest of the hour and raced off towards Kelle's apartment building, where her crazy horse was roaming around the front steps. He pushed past it and knocked on Kelle's door. When she didn't answer after the first few minutes, he opened it cautiously.

Kelle wasn't hurt. At first he was relieved, and then extremely annoyed. All she was doing was lying on her belly on the carpet...with a weird looking kid pulling her hair.

"RYUGA! Thank goodness you're here! I - OW! KAZUKO! DO NOT DO THAT!"

"I thought you said you were being attacked."

"I am, can't you see?"

"What is that kid doing in your apartment?"

"I'm babysitting her, can't you - OW! KAZUKO!"

Ryuga pulled the kid off of Kelle by the back of her shirt. Something about the wild look in her eyes and the shade of her unkempt hair made him think of someone he knew, but the name and face slipped his mind.

"Ohh, thank you. See, this is why I stay friends with you...OH MY GOODNESS, WHERE IS ATSUTOMO!?"

"Atsu...you mean there's another one?"

"There was supposed to be. Kazuko, where is your brother?"

"I don't know", Kazuko said, batting her eyes in pretended innocence.

"Watch Kazuko, I have to find Atsutomo." Kelle then proceeded to run around the apartment until she found Atsutomo in the cabinet. She lifted him out, scolding him.

"Atsutomo! Sono you watashina kixyoufuha ari mase n!" Atsutomo, don't scare me like that!

"Watashiha moushiwakeari mase n ga Kelle-san watashiha tsumori ha nakatta. Watashiha chixyoudo ni kakure te i ta." I'm sorry Kelle, I didn't mean to. I was just hiding. The boy spoke in perfect Japanese.

He looked American, though, with his platinum blond hair. But those eyes...who did they remind him of?

"Sit here. And don't move." Kelle plopped Atsutomo down on the couch and took Kazuko from Ryuga. Then she sighed.

"I've had a hard afternoon with these two."

"This is what you called me for?"

"Maa, karera ha hontouni watashiga kougekisa re ta! Dono you na korera no chiisana kodomotachi ha shitte iru shinai de kudasai!" Kelle protested, her voice going whiny. (Translation: Well, they truly were attacking me! You don't know how strong these children are!)

"Well, I'll be going now..."

"Wait, Ryuga, I need your help with these two kids. I can't handle them till their dad gets home."

"You were fine before, you'll be fine now."

"You don't understand. They're extremely hyperactive. I've barely survived the past few months! Finally I gave up and called you."

"No, Kelle."

"Watashino jinsei to anata ha sore ni izon shimasu. ANATA GA SUN DE IRU WO SHITTE I MASU." Your life and mine depends on it. I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE.

Kelle covered Atsutomo's ears for the last part.

"Okay, okay. Fine. But it isn't because I'm scared of you."

Kazuko was sitting on the couch, looking genuinely annoyed. "You guuuuuys", she whined. "I can't understaaaaaand!"

So Atsutomo was the only one of the two who knew Japanese.

"Great thanks Ryuga, we have nothing to feed them so I'll be back with dinner."

"HOLD IT, hold it. Maybe I should go get dinner."

"NO. I've been putting up with these two for the past 2 years by myself, and I need a break." Atsu's ears were once again covered.

"Kelle -"

But Kelle was gone. Ryuga wondered why she needed car keys for a horse.

Atsu and Kaz were huddled on the couch together, staring at him with wide eyes.

"What?"

"I don't like that guy..."

"I'm right here, kid. You don't have to do that, it's rude."

"Mr. Dragon man, can we turn on the TV?"

"I don't know the rules your dad has. No. You'll have to wait till Kelle gets back."

"But Kelle ALWAAAAAYS lets us watch - "

"NO, Kazuko. Just wait a little while."

Kazuko started crying for Kelle and her dad. Atsu started crying too. So when Kelle got back, the kids were eating ice cream in the kitchen. Kelle sighed.

"Really, Ryuga? Ice cream is the last thing the twins need."

"Twins? How old are they, anyhow?"

"Six-and-a-half", said Atsu plaintively from his chocolate-covered mouth.

"Nuh-uh. We're six."

"Well, I'M six and a half because I'm the bigger twin."

"Nuh-uh, dad says I was born first..."

Kelle removed the ice cream from their hands and replaced it quietly with pizza. Her hair was blowing out of her ponytail and with her she'd brought the smell of Kyoto rain and the frost in the night air.

"I think it'll storm tonight. I just hope their dad gets back before then; he knows how to handle them better than I do, and if it storms it'll be chaos..."

"It's chaos already."

"Jixyoudanjixda nai yo..." No kidding.

The twins continued their argument. "Well I'm older cuz I know Japanese."

"Well I know American."

"Everyone knows American. I can talk in two languages."

"Well I can beat you in a fight!"

"Settle down and eat your pizza." Kelle turned on the TV.

"Ooh, look Kaz, it's MONK! That's daddy's favourite show!"

"I love that show!"

"Your dad lets you watch that?"

"Yeah!"

"I'm gonna have to talk to their dad", muttered Kelle under her breath.

"Nooo...please not Sesame Street..."

"What's sesame street? Is that like on burgers?"

"No, Atsu, that's sesame SEED. Sesame street is a show."

They watched as Big Bird explained the letter A and Ryuga groaned.

"That bird is scary", Kaz whimpered.

"You're right. He probably eats children."

Kelle covered Kaz's ears this time and glared at Ryuga.

Finally they settled on Disney Channel. They had movies on that night. Ryuga kicked off his tennis shoes and lay his jacket on a chair.

"You know, Kelle, it's funny how you and the kids both called me Dragon Boy when you first saw me. DO you have anything to do with that?

"I said DRAGON MAN, not DRAGON BOY", Atsu protested.

"Yes, I had everything to do with that."

"That's not funny."

Ryuga finished off the last piece of pizza, and watched as a worn-out Kelle sagged against the ancient brown sofa. The kids grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and scampered onto Kelle's lap.

So there they were, in the living room of an apartment by the woods. Kelle and Atsu and Kaz and Ryuga, watching movies while it rained outside. It was kind of nice, he thought, being somewhere nice again.

* * *

"Hey, Kelle. Psst. Get the camera..."

"Okay, okay. Here."

Ryuga heard the click of a shutter and felt the flash pounding against his eyelids. He opened his eyes drearily.

Half obscured behind the black boxy for of the Nikon was the guy who must be Kaz and Atsu's father. Ryuga was to tired to care, so he shut his eyes and listened half-awake as Kelle and the stranger spoke quietly.

"Hontouni sorera wo tantei nitsuite sono terebi bangumiwo mi te deki masu ka?" You really let them watch that TV show about the detective?

"Hahaoyano okiniiri datta." It was their mother's favourite.

Here he could imagine Kelle giving the father a hard look, her no-excuses look.

"Maa, karera ha nemurukoto ga deki nakatta! Nanimo...to warui koto de ha nai..." Well, there was nothing else on! Besides...it's not that bad...

"Kyouya, karera ha "rikai shite i nai" ni jixyuubunna wakai mou. Karera ha yaku 7 desu." Kyouya, they're not young enough to "Not understand" anymore. They're nearly seven.

Back it up. Did she just say Kyouya?

He snapped his eyes open.

She did. She did say Kyouya.

He was definitely older now, his hair slightly duller and longer than in his teenage days. He looked a little tired, though he could only be in his mid-20s. And yet, there was no mistaking that this was the legendary blader, Kyouya Tategami.

Ryuga sat up, realising why they'd been photographing him. Atsu and Kaz had been curled up against him, lying down on the couch. He would've been angry if not so stunned.

"Oh, you're awake." Kelle and Kyouya turned their heads in his direction.

"Ky...kyouya-san?"

Kyouya started. "Uh, yeah." He looked a little sheepish.

"Y-you -"

"Have kids? I am a father, yes." He seemed hardened all of a sudden. Even as Kaz and Atsu ran towards him, he stared back at Ryuga with that hard look in his eyes. Almost as if he blamed him for disappearing all those years ago.

It hit Ryuga suddenly that even though he'd not aged since his own disappearance, the world he used to know had definitely been ageing in his absence. He sagged against the couch, unable to take it all in.

Then he turned, and his little ones followed. With a murmured "Arigatou" to Kelle, he exited her apartment.

"Ryuga? You knew him?"

"Yeah. We knew each other. From nearly 10 years ago. Wow, a lot has changed."

"He never speaks of his blader days any more...he doesn't even tell his kids about who he used to be. Back when he was a teenager."

"He'd been through a lot. It might be hard to talk about."

"He doesn't even talk about their mother to them."

"Who was their mother?"

"Somebody with a last name of Otori. That's all he said, I don't remember the first name."

"Was it...was it Avory?"

"Avory. Yes."

So while he'd been gone, Kyouya had fallen in love with Tsubasa's sister...gotten married and had kids...and now...

"Where is Avory?"

"She never was very healthy. She ended up with cancer and she died."

Now she was dead.

He knew Tsubasa had shared a special bond with his sister. He wondered how he managed to cope with leading the world's biggest company after she'd passed on.

"Do you even know where any of the others went? Masamune-san, or Gingka?"

So of course Kelle had heard of the other legendary bladers. They'd gone down in history.

And he'd gone down as the one who disappeared.

"No, I don't."

He didn't know anything about this world anymore, it seemed...


	5. To work

Ryuga ended up sleeping at Kelle's on the couch under a tattered old quilt, so tired he forgot to grumble about the pizza crumbs in the folds of the blanket. All he remembered was waking up about 1:30 and seeing Kelle's small face illuminated by her cell phone screen. Mangled Japanese drifting through the dreamscape, buts and pieces of a convversation he could only hear half of.

"Ha, mochiron...rikai shimasu. Shimasu...toori?...iie...sore wo okonaukangae...hitsuyouha ari mase n."

An arrangement made with a promise. Kelle was speaking to somebody. But he hadn't the consciousness to comprehend right now.

About 4:30 a.m. found him woken by soft voices once more.

"Anata ha gakkou ni watashitachi wo tori tsumori desu ka? Kelle-san, Anata ha -"

"Hush, kareto anata no imoutoni mezamaru..."

He cracked open one eye and could see Kelle and two children, one in her arms asleep and the other tagging after her like a lost lamb.

"Knyo, heya de..." Her sentence was lost as weariness overcame him.

* * *

"Ryuga...Ryuga, watashitachi ha anata ni kurumawo kariru koto ga deki masu?" Ryuga, can we borrow your car?

"Mada unten saru..."

"Before you tell me I can't drive yet, I was going to ask YOU to drive us."

"Iie..."

"Pleeeeease? OH PLEASEOHPLEASEPLEASEPLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASEEEE..."

"JIXYUUBUNNA! Hai, sudeni!

"Thank you."

"What did he say? Mr. Dragon man, what did you say?" A little hand tugged on his sleeve.

"Not now, Kaz...what are they doing here so early?"

"They have to be taken to school."

"It was like, 3:30 when you brought them here, you know."

"Kyouya-san had a crisis or something. Something about Metal City."

"That's where the WBBA headquarters are located. Wonder if that has something to do with it."

"Daddy doesn't like Mr. Eagle guy."

Kazuko stood between them, her little hands still pulling on his sleeve at a steady rhythm, her school uniform looking rumpled and unironed.

"Where's Atsu?"

"He's trying to find your keys." Kelle retrieved Atsu from where he was hidden behind the counter. The boy looked even more dishevelled than his father.

"Why doesn't your dad like Tsubasa anymore?...Kelle?"

"Shiri mase n..."

"Okay, let's go now."

Ryuga and Kelle scooped the twins into the backseat of the tired Honda. Ryuga climbed into the driver's seat, equally tired.

"I wish I didn't have work today."

"Ika nai koto ni kimeru koto ga deki masu", Kelle said impishly. You could ditch.

"No, I have to earn a living somehow."

"Wakatte i masu..."

They drove in silence, except for Kaz's every-3-minutes "Can we turn on the radio?"

And also Atsu's constant chant of "Raj-i-o...raj-i-o...raj-i-o...Ryuga-san, warewareha -"

"OKAY! JIXYUUBUNNA!"

The radio was then turned on. All that seemed to be playing this early was some dumb American music from the 50's. He didn't know what was more disturbing - Lloyd Price's voice, or the fact that Kaz and Atsu knew all the words to the songs.

Everything was disturbing.

The small squat school building seemed to peer out at them from behind the slow drizzle gracing Kyoto's streets, not appearing as a school that onw would be required to wear a uniform to. Atsu and Kaz raced through the rain along with Kelle, up to the no-longer-automatic doors gracing the front of the building, and a vague thought passed through Ryuga's mind. The worry that they might not have metal detectors and some kid would sneak a gun in sometime. It was gone as quickly as it had come.

Kelle slid back into the passenger's seat a moment later. "Whew. Rain. It might keep up like this for the next few days, their teacher said."

"Huh." Ryuga fiddled with the radio and caught a glimpse of the clock staring harshly back up at him. "Aa, nai desu! I'm late. I don't have time to bring you back home."

"That's okay, I'll hang out at the coffee shop until you get out of work."

"Just don't bother me."

"Hmmm...Iie, I don't think I can promise you that..."

"Okay, you're walking home."

"Ease up! Jixyoudandesu!" Just kidding.

"Hm." Ryuga somehow doubted that. He pulled up against the curb down the street from Cocokara. He and Kelle made a break for it, down the sparse sidewalk, past the white motorcycle at the front porch, and into the cafe.

"Ryuga-san! Chikokushite iru mouichidol, baka!" You're late again, fool!

Ryuga mumbled his apology and hurried to the kitchen; Kelle slid into the little booth near the door, melding with the green upholstery happily. That cushion sure looked comfortable, but Ryuga had no such luxury. He had to wait tables.

Kelle had got a paperback from somewhere; it wasn't one they kept at the shelf for magazines. (He knew, he had to sort them.) She must've been planning spending the day at his work all along. He seethed for a while and then concentrated his inner sizzle towards the lunch beef.

After an hour or two he was sent to the back to take calls. A few minutes later, Kelle wandered in with a pack of the organic cookies from the counter. The strawberry kind. He loved those. She knew it.

"Hey, guess what?"

"Hm."

"It's your birthday."

"No it's not."

"Tomorrow is. Happy 18th birthday, Ryu-chan!"

"Don't call me that. Hey, how did you even know my birthday?"

"I read your facebook."

"How did you even know I had a facebook?"

"You used my laptop that first time you came over. Fact is, you stayed logged in after you left -"

"So that explains why people started sending me thousands of friend requests."

Kelle shook her head innocently.

"Oh really? How about this? 'Watashiha hijxyouni kodoku na hita desu. Kudasai watashini yuujin de ari masu.'" I am a very lonely person. Please be a friend to me.

"Now tell me that wasn't you."

"That wasn't you."

Ryuga rolled his eyes and gave up.

"Anyhow, here's your present do I don't have to give you it tomorrow."

"Thank you." Ryuga set the cookies on his desk. "Now quit bothering me."

"Aren't you going to eat them?"

"Iie, I'm not hungry right now..."

"Yessss you are...Itadakimasu, now..." Let's eat them.

"No."

"Yes."

"GO away, Kelle, you'll get me fired!"

"But it's your birthd - "

"KELLE."

"Yes, sir..." Kelle slunk out of the room like a lost dog and Ryuga felt bad. Only for a minute, though. She yelled "shitsureidesu" over her shoulder as she left. "Rude."

A few minutes later, Ryuga deposited the last cookie on her table, with the plastic wrapper still attached. "Happy now?"

"Yaaaay! You're officially 18! When do you get off work?"

"Not for 3 more hours. Why?"

"The kids need to be picked up."

"Well, I guess you're all walking home in the rain." The thunderstorm had raged nonstop all day.

"Are you kidding me!?"

"No."

Kelle grumbled something and raced out to the bus stop.


	6. Journal

Ryuga woke to thunder and a ringing phone. He picked it up and fumbled to flip it open, pressing it onto his ear.

"Dono you na..."

Almost immediately a stream of furious gabble came out the other end of the phone.

"GAKKOUNI KODOMOWOTORU JIKAN DA! Ijixyou anata wohitsuyouga koko de kono shunkanni, Ryuga womigi! Kurumawomotte i nai to Kazuko ha, kodai no oujixyo...ATSU! TEEBURU WOHANARE TE ERU! Sassashi, KOKO WONORIKOERU!"

Apparently it was time to bring the children to school again. And once again, Ryuga would have to play chauffeur. It had been going on like this for the past week.

Each morning he woke up and drove zombie-like through the rain to Kelle's. Worked his brain to death at CocoKara, pestered by her undying quirkiness. And fell into bed at night like a wet rag, uncertain that he would live until morning.

Now he stood at Kelle's door, slammed his fist into it a few times, and she opened it.

"Easy on the door, Ryuga-san. Don't you dare break that."

"Kelle, Watashiha kore woyari tsudhukerukoto ha deki mase n." I can't keep doing this.

"I know. You look horrible. But please, please this one time, and I have an idea for how to make this work from here on out."

"You owe me."

"Wakatte i masu..." Kelle ushered Kaz and Atsu into the car. Though they were up early, they were not short of energy. Unlike the older kids, who had to look after them.

"When's Tategami-san getting back?"

Kelle eyed the children, and leaned in, her voice whispery. "I don't know. He was supposed to be back 2 days ago, but now I'm just getting worried."

"Watashini utagawashii to omowareru." Seems suspicious to me.

"Knowing Kyouya-san, he forgot how to put gas in his car and spent the night at a hotel. So he could 'sleep on it'."

This earned a snicker from Ryuga.

As they dropped of the children and headed to Ryuga's workplace, certain diversions kept coming up and Kelle never got to tell him her big plan to "make it work".

The day crawled on in a blur of sweat, kitchen steam, and rain-fogged windows. Ryuga had no time for lunch and had to endure the torture of watching Kelle eat hers, along with her endless stream of chatter about the current goings-on.

But later, when the guy delivered the newspaper after lunch, something slipped out of her blue streak that caught Ryuga's attention.

"...and they say that Director Otori will be having a little girl in February..."

"Wait. Stop right there. WHAT!?"

Kelle looked up from the newspaper as she reached the classifieds.

"I said that the price of imported beef is rising because America - "

"No. After that. Something about some Otori guy. I swear I've heard that name before."

"Ohhhh, Otori-sama. The director of the WBBA."

"What's his first name?"

"Tsubasa."

"Yes, that's it."

"He's having a kid - "

"Who'd he end up marrying?"

"Doesn't say."

Ryuga wrested the newspaper from her grip. "Gimme that."

He scanned the front page where the black-and-white photo of Tsubasa Otori and his alleged bride dominated, and recognized her face almost instantly.

"Sophie Beaumarchais. She was on the European team in the world championships. No way."

"Is that who that is?" Kelle leaned over his shoulder to gaze at the picture.

"I'd know her anywhere." Ryuga smacked the newspaper down on the table.

Kyouya had two kids. Tsubasa was about to have his own. How many more changes had he to accept in the coming months? Could a once-familiar earth really change that much in only 10 years?

"Oh, that reminds me...while I've got you here..." Kelle dug around in her backpack and produced a tarnished silver key.

"I was thinking you might want to stay in Kyouya-san's apartment for awhile until he gets back, it's right next door to mine. Since you have to drive us all around."

Ryuga took the key without protest, too lost in thought to make a sound.

"Okay. See you. I gotta catch the bus." Kelle raced out into the rain and Ryuga turned back to busing tables.

* * *

He surveyed the apartment quietly; so this was where he would be staying for awhile.

It wasn't altogether dirty, but had a worn and tarnished feel to it. The furniture was mismatched and the carpet, perhaps once dark lustrous chocolate, was now bleached and faded, creamy brown in places and almost violet in others.

He set his duffel bag down beside the couch and fiddled with the TV antenna for a moment before going to inspect the master bedroom, ready to fall into a bed and go to sleep.

A leather journal lay on the topmost pillow, probably belonging to Kyouya. He picked it up, careful not to open it; Ryuga was many things, but he didn't pry unless absolutely necessary.

What happened next was not his fault.

The back sheaf of papers fell from between the covers, landing faceup on the floor. He stooped to pick it up, and several words on the top sheet caught his attention.

わたし

は

のこし

て

いる

し

もどって

こ

ない

Neat calligraphy glared up at him from the page.

watashi ha nokoshi te iru shi, modotte ko nai

I'm leaving. And I'm never coming back.

* * *

MUAHAHAHA. I HAVE CREATED A NEW PAIRING!

Tsuphie...oh my goodness.

What have I done?


	7. And so we journey off

Kelle opened the door of the apartment wearily, the knocking from the other side almost imperceptible through the thunder.

"What do you want?" she asked, seeing Ryuga standing on the other side.

"I think you should see this." He handed her a piece of paper. "It fell out of the back of Kyouya's journal."

"I...am...leaving..." Kelle slowly translated from the Japanese. "And...I am never...coming...WAIT A SECOND."

"Exactly. I told you something strange was going on."

Kelle hurriedly pored over the rest of the note. "I'm making a break for it to Metal City to get Benkei so we can get out of this country for good. It holds too many memories and I'm done with it. Kelle should eventually find this note and i know she'll take good care of the kids, better than I ever could. I'm starting over. Goodbye."

"Get the car", Kelle snapped.

"What?"

"Get the car!"

"Why do you want me to get the car?"

"Listen." Kelle turned to face him. "I am not going to take care of two troublesome kids just because their Daddy decided he was going to run away and be the irresponsible goon he always was. If he wants to have a life worth living, he has to turn around and face his problems instead of running away from them. We are going to Metal City to get him."

"What? How are we going to do that?"

"We are going to drive."

"Hold the phone, Kelle. I'm not paying for gas. If you want to make a 6 and a half hour trip through Japan traffic, you're going to have to pay for it on your own."

"But I can't drive, Ryu-san! Me and Kaz and Atsu will NOT fit on the horse!"

"I am trying to work a full-time job here, Kelle. I can't be driving you around this country every time your next door neighbour ditches you unexpectedly."

"But - "

"Listen. Take the JR Yamanote line, it'll take you straight to Tokyo. 4 hours tops. Bus ticket. Better than driving."

"I can't go there without you! You can't leave me alone with the twins!"

"You've survived this long without my help."

"Yeah, back when they had a FATHER. Come on. I'll pay for it if you'll drive us there. I need your help. Okay?"

Ryuga twirled the key to Kyouya's apartment on his index finger restlessly. Why did he feel a sense of responsibility towards the little Tategamis and their father?

Letting out his breath in a long puff, he gave in. "Why do I always listen to you?"

"Because I know what I'm doing. Get packed. We have to get there before he hitches the next plane to the Land of Freedom." Kelle trudged bacm into her apartment.

Ryuga watched her leave dully. "No, Kelle, you have no idea what you're doing", he muttered, and then went to pack his duffel bag for the second time that day.

* * *

Kelle wrestled Atsutomo onto the couch in her living room. "Atsu. GO TO BED."

"But I don't want to go to bed! I am not tired, Kelle-chan!"

"That's Kelle-SAN to you. You have to go to bed. We have to be up early to go find your runaway father."

"Don't you know my runaway father can take care of himself!" Kazuko said, bouncing up on the other side of the couch where Ryuga was trying to get her to be still.

"Your runaway father needs to rethink his priorities in life and learn not to be such a good-for nothing", Kelle said.

"Not in front of the kids", Atsutomo lectured.

"You ARE the kids, Atsu!"

"Kazuko, am I going to have to tie you to this bed?"

"Yes you are. And then I will chew through the rope and stalk you."

Ryuga looked at Kelle. "Are you sure it's a good idea to let them keep living with their father?"

"Better than having YOU babysit them."

After a lot of yelling and hopeless negotiation, Kaz and Atsu were safely in bed. Ryuga and Kelle now owed them ice cream for a week.

"I hope they forget this by morning", Ryuga muttered, stumbling out into the hallway with Kyouya's door key in his fist.

"Don't hold your breath, buddy." Kelle shut the door behind him and stumbled to bed.

* * *

When Ryuga walked out of the apartment complex early the next morning, he found the horse sniffing his car.

"Hey. EEEY. Horsey-boy. HEEY. Get AWAY from my CAR."

He shoved at Calhoun's neck. Calhoun turned and nipped Ryuga's t-shirt between his teeth.

Earlier, Ryuga had awoken to find a fresh set of clothes beside his bed: a t-shirt with a dragon on it, and simple cargo pants. (Kelle's taste in clothes seemed very limited as they were identical to her own, though her t-shirt sported a bear rather than a dragon.) The night before he had explained to Kelle that he needed to stop looking so conspicuous. It was time for him to be somebody other than the Dragon Emperor for awhile and become somebody different.

Somebody resigned to a totally strange life surrounded by a horse, two children, and a green-haired girl. So now his jacket and headband lay in a neat package at the top of Kyouya's hall closet, a symbol of moving forward and leaving the past behind.

Ryuga dodged the horse's probing lips and attempted to wrestle him away from the car. Kelle stumbled out with Atsu holding her hand and Kaz clinging to her shirt hem to find him flat on his back in the dust thanks to Calhoun's great hooves.

Ryuga groaned, the wind knocked out of him, and hauled himself up off the ground, dusting off his clothes huffily. "ALL RIGHT, HORSE. YOU ASKED FOR IT." Calhoun snorted as Ryuga rushed him and sidestepped skilfully, brushing his tail across the side of the car. Ryuga fell into a bush and Kelle gently shoved the big horse in the chest; he moved willingly at her touch, puffing air through Ryuga's hair as he trotted past.

"That horse has it in for me", muttered Ryuga.

"Neh. He's just jealous of your car."

"You mean he wants to drive it places?"

"He'd probably drive to the farmer's market if he could."

"If we had a farmer's market."

"I'm sure there's one somewhere in Kyoto."

Kaz and Atsu complained about being tired as Ryuga and Kelle pushed them into their car-seats. "Just think; last night they refused to go to bed."

"It'll be the same tonight. Wherever we are by tonight."

"Hopefully Tokyo."

"If we're not dead first." And with this, he got into the driver's seat. Kelle pulled on her seatbelt extra tight.

And so it was; they were off.


	8. Conversationalist

Track for this chapter:

Resta con me, by Ludovico Einaudi, on the album Una Mattina

Also, if you go to my profile, there is a link to a youtube playlist I have created that has all my story tracks on it. Have fun!

There's also a link on my profile to see a picture of Kelle, right underneath the link for the playlist.

* * *

Kazuko and Atsutomo were asleep in the backseat and finally Ryuga could argue with Kelle freely about her decision. He'd been afraid to say anything last night in case anything harsh about Kyouya should slip out in front of the children.

"I can't believe you're dragging me to Metal Bey City with you."

"You made the decision to come."

"I couldn't say no for the children's sake. In that case, I'm blaming YOU for this!"

Kelle crossed her arms and pouted in the front seat. Then she crossed her eyes too. Ryuga had to laugh. The chuckle burst forth from him suddenly, rolling off the steering wheel, and Kelle perked up. He scowled at her and she laughed at him.

They were quite a funny pair.

"What money do you plan to use to get us there?"

"My emergency savings. This counts as an emergency."

Kelle yawned suddenly, and Ryuga realised she'd been coughing since last night, every five minutes. At a stop light, he brushed his hand against her forehead briefly. (A/N: This is NOT romance.)

"I think you're coming down with something."

"I am NOT coming down with something." Kelle swatted him away. "I am PERFECTLY FINE."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine. If you're feeling bad, you can admit it."

"What? That has nothing to do with what I just said."

"I know. When does anything I ever say make sense?"

"I don't know."

The radio echoed against the faded upholstery of the secondhand car. "And now we welcome a guest DJ on to our station: Les Romero, once a street busker in Metal Bey City, now an acclaimed musician -"

"It runs in tha family", Les interrupted loudly.

"- and a retired Navy man, he writes his own songs."

"Mah granddaughter sings too."

"That's great, Les. Would you mind sharing some of your albums with us?"

"If ah can jus' git this button ta work. WHAT IS THIS THING? CAN EVERYONE HEAR MEH?"

"You're wearing a microphone, Les. If you would press this - "

"ARE YA SURE YE CAN HEAR MEH? AH CAN'T HEAR MAHSELF."

"If you would just press this - "

"IT'S COS AH'M DEAF."

"If you would press - "

"Ah knows, ah knows it, press this here button. Git off mah show, lady."

Finally the music came on and Kelle uncovered her ears now that Les's rant was done with.

The voice of the old man cut syrupy and southern through the silence of the car, and Kelle leaned back with a sigh. Ryuga kept driving, glaring out at the traffic on the road. The city limits of Kyoto passed them and then they were leaving Kyoto behind.

He was off again. Meant to be a wanderer, perhaps; he had never stayed too often in one place anyhow. But now he wondered whether he would be really ever coming back, or if a new adventure awaited them in Tokyo.

* * *

"How did you come to be living in Kyoto on your own at the age of 14 anyways?

"Hey. I'm nearly 15."

"Anyway. Answer the question."

Kelle stared out the rain-splattered window and began to relay her story.

"I had been living in an orphan's home since I was born; I guess my parents came in and arranged for me to stay there."

"Don't tell me this is one of those 'little orphan Annie' stories."

Kelle glared at him. "Do you want to hear the story or not? Then quit interrupting me.

"It was an orphanage in Metal Bey City and so I was exposed to a lot of beyblade culture from the moment I first looked out the window of the 3rd story. I could see Bey Park across the street almost constantly and I was only a few blocks from the bridge.

"I was about 7 and I decided I was going to get my own bey and become like the World Championship blader Gingka Hagane - "

"That makes sense. You would've been born about a year before Gingka came to Metal Bey City."

"That sounds about right. Anyway, I saved up my allowance for ages until I finally got the money to purchase a beyblade at the store round the corner from the orphanage. They sold generic beyblades for 14 dollars at the counter. As I got there, a guy was rounding the corner at the same time, I guess, and he bumped into me. He was an old guy in, like, a military jacket. He had this guitar under his arm and he was really old.

"He sort of laughed and said, 'easy honey, where ya goin' in sucha hurry?' and I said, 'I'm going to buy a beyblade today!' I was really excited about it. And then he told me he used to be a blader when he was younger. I didn't believe him.

"Anyway, this guy, he looked in the store and he asked me which one I was going to buy. He looked up at the fancy beys on the wall, the Thunder Aquilas and the Spiral Raptoriuses and the Warrior Virgos and the like. I pointed to one of the little light blue generic ones at the counter and he started getting mad. He set down the guitar and smacked the counter and he said, 'that ain't no bey fer a blader ta git strong on, nah. Ya need a real bey, a good one.'

"And then he pulled out this wad of cash and pointed to a beyblade up real high on the top shelf, the only one, which nobody noticed because it had spiderwebs all over it. And he told the counter guy to give it to me. It was an Ursa Major bey.

"After awhile I got older and decided to go see the world. I was eleven. It was really too young to leave home. But I got all my allowance and got on the Junior Chua line as far as I could go and ended up in Kyoto."

"How did you make it to 14?"

"Well for awhile, I was kind of on the streets. Then I found Calhoun wandering around in a forest, I guess somebody forgot him and never missed him. I started riding him and one day we ended up in the forest outside the apartment building. Kyouya and Kaz and Atsu were just coming out. So I got a job babysitting them until I finally got noticed at one of the cafes and got a job there, and here we are."

"That's an interesting story", murmured Ryuga. "Ever see the old guy again?"

"No. I think his name was Leo or Landry or something with an L. Like Les. But it wasn't Les. He really couldn't play the guitar very well." Kelle smiled to herself.

"So we're going back to Metal Bey City, huh? Did you ever meet Kenta Yumiya?"

"Yes. I battled him once or twice and he taught me a lot."

"Was he well?"

"Yeah, he was okay. Why?"

"No reason. He used to be a...friend of mine."

Kelle smirked. "Wow. Friend. Strong word there, especially for a guy like you."

Ryuga glared at her and then concentrated on the road, wondering if Kenta was still in Metal Bey City, and if so, would he recognize him?


	9. You're coming down with something

Track for this chapter:

Nothing else matter, by Scott Davis, on the album Rockfluence

* * *

Kelle fell asleep to the wound of Les Romero's Little Town rolling across the dashboard, and Ryuga was left alone to drive in silence.

It was boring.

Very boring.

_Sing me away to a little town_

_Earth keeps goin', round 'n round_

_Indian legends resting in stone_

_And never alone._

Les kept on singing and Ryuga kept on driving, never bothering to change the channel. Finally it was lunchtime; a lot of time had passed driving, and the traffic was not getting any better. They were in Shizuoka, over 200 miles east of where they started out at.

He woke Kelle, with some difficulty; she seemed very tired.

"You're coming down with something", he said.

"No I'm not. Is it time for lunch yet?"

So they stopped at a Matsuya restaurant in Mishima as they reached the edge of Shizuoaka, and by now Atsutomo and Kazuko were awake. Inside the restaurant the two kids ran around like crazy until Ryuga threatened to give them to the chef for that night's salad if they did not settle down. So they ended up sitting in the booth opposite Kelle and Ryuga and staring at him with wide eyes until their food came.

Kelle was not hungry.

"You're coming down with something", he said.

"No I'm not."

"Yes, you very much are."

"Stop criticizing me! I'm fine, I just had a big breakfast!"

Ryuga knew very well that she had skipped breakfast that morning. But he said nothing, digging into the Gyudon silently as Kaz and Atsu made a mess of their lunch on the other side of the table. Kelle lay her head down with a sigh and said nothing for the remainder of noon. That was unusual for her.

After lunch they left before anybody could notice what a mess they had left their table, and Kaz and Atsu were wrestled back into the car with difficulty.

Kelle was asleep in the front seat again. Ryuga wished he didn't have to drive so far. After awhile, all the roads started to look the same. The red car with the California license plate had been in front of them since they left Fuji, and he was tired of staring at the back of that driver's head minute after minute.

A roadblock came ahead and they sat still for an hour without making any progress. It was now 3:00 in the afternoon; they'd left at 9 that morning. It had seemed much earlier, but perhaps not.

Finally he woke Kelle up, because he himself was falling asleep, and if he ended up knocking himself out and veering off the road, it only meant more trouble for everybody.

"Huh? Is it morning?" Kelle stretched quietly.

"I need you to keep me awake. This guy's songs are all starting to sound the same."

"I'm barely awake myself", muttered Kelle, resting her forehead against the window blearily and gazing at the grey sedan beside them.

"You're coming down with something", he said.

"Stop saying that. I'm just tired."

"You're going to wear yourself out, and then where will we be?"

"I'm not the one driving."

"You're going to have to be if I end up falling asleep from boredom over here."

Kelle changed the channel on the radio, as Les played the song "little town" for the 4th time in an hour. Instead, the sounds of a talk show blasted out. She turned the radio off and started messing with the air conditioner instead.

"Hey. Kelle. 'EY. Quit messing with my car." He slapped her hand away from the air conditioner and she sat back with a sigh.

"I wish I'd brought a book or something."

"Me too."

"You're driving. You can't read."

"Most of what we're doing is sitting here."

"Then turn off the car! Remember I'm the one paying for gas here! It's my money you'r revving away there!"

Ryuga turned off the car, just as they got a detour line going around the roadblock. Then he had to turn it back on again.

"See what you did!?"

"Yeah. How was I supposed to know?"

They were both cranky and he realised it was not helping their situation. So he kept his mouth shut.

She fell asleep. AGAIN. If Kelle was unable to sleep tonight, he would not be surprised.

He finally decided they would detour in Gotenba for the night; and since he wasn't in the mood to wake Kelle up and deal with her crankiness, he slept in the car like the rest of them.


End file.
